Industry News

How is Membrane Bioreactor a Key to Solve Water Shortage Problem of India?

Acute Water Shortage, Declining Water Levels and
Increasing Water Demand are Necessitating the Adoption of MBR in India:

India is one of the fastest growing economy and
is witnessing rapid scale of industrialization and burgeoning population, which
are putting coercing the water availability in the nation. The economic and population
growth in the country are slowing down per capita availability of water and the
situation is expected to worsen in the coming years due to limited availability
of fresh water resources. If the water utilization is to continue at the same
rate, the water demand for domestic, agriculture and manufacturing sector is
expected to outpace the water supply by 2050.

Main Purpose of Installation:

Inadequate treatment of sewage discharge remains
a major challenge for the country. The wastewater treatment infrastructure of
India has not undergone modernization and advancement in terms of wastewater
treatment technology to face challenges posed by rapidly growing population.
Consequently, the increasing expenditure on advanced wastewater treatment
technologies and equipment in the country is the major purpose for MBR
installation in India. In addition to this, the easiness in operation of MBRs
have led to the decreased cost of maintenance and energy saving, and has
alleviated the reliance over operators and engineers for the purpose of
handling the machine. The automation has brought operational stability to
wastewater treatment process, with lesser errors and easy monitoring, demanding much lesser manual
input, as compared to conventional wastewater treatment systems.

India Wastewater Capital Expenditure, 2013-18
(USD Billion)

Increasing Penetration of MBR is Evident in Industrial
Applications:

Power generation industry is playing a crucial
role in the country’s growing energy demand and account for a sizable portion
of water consumption in India. The cooling towers in a thermal power plant
require bulk loads of water supply for the purpose but the frequent occurrence
of droughts is causing the plants to shut down and power outages in the nation.
As a result, industrial experts are keen on adopting membrane bioreactors as a
powerful and an effective water reclamation & reuse tool to meet the water
demand. HPCL Mittal Energy Limited and Pragati Power Corporation Limited are
currently utilizing MBR technology at their plants.

In addition to power sector, other industries
such as oil & gas, chemical, pharmaceutical and many more are also
witnessing installation of MBR in the country.

Conclusion:

In
conclusion, the India Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) market is expected to showcase
significant growth during the forecast period owing to the rising shortage of
clean water in the country. The technical upgradations of the existing
centralized Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs)
and sewerage pipelines is increasing the penetration of advanced wastewater
treatment technologies in India. Additionally, the operational simplicity
offered by MBRs is also fostering its applications in on-site reclamation of
municipal sewage coupled with industrial effluent reuse. The advantageous
features such as ease of cleaning coupled with automation & reduction of
pumps, controls and manual labor are offering dual benefit to the municipal and
industrial set-ups. Consequently, the India MBR market would continue to grow
at a healthy rate through 2026.